There is now only one unifying force in British politics and that’s the Labour Party

When Len McCluskey, General Secretary of Unite, said this week that “We are at a stage in politics where bumbling along in the old ways is not going to happen anymore” I couldn’t agree more.

That is why Scottish Labour at its conference two weeks ago published ‘Together We Can’ –  the positive alternative to independence and the Tories, a modern day Red Paper as it’s been dubbed by party members, trade unionists and the media alike. You can read the document here.

I’ve got no idea whether Len actually took the time to read the Red Paper before he made his comments on Monday, but he certainly should now. ‘Together We Can’ is the positive constitutional, economic and social alternative. Indeed, it makes no mention of the SNP.

Just as Scottish Labour has no limit in its ambition for Scotland, we want no Scot to have a limit in theirs. ‘Together We Can’ is clear in its ambition for Scotland and clear in its ambition for workers. We want a new moral economy where the national wealth is used for the benefit of all, a new moral economy which is driven not by the value of our currency but by Labour values – equality, solidarity and social justice. And it is based on an idea bigger than independence. That’s the pooling and sharing of resources across the UK for the benefit of everyone in the UK.

But the people of Scotland have a choice in the referendum and Unite’s 150,000 Scottish members in Scotland have a choice. And for me the choice is clear. There are those who want to divide our country, between those who are in work, and those who are out of work. There are those who want to divide our country depending on what country you come from, or where you were born, or which part of the United Kingdom you live in.

There is now only one unifying force in British politics and that’s the Labour Party.

The choice in the referendum is not people seeking liberation from London, but those who want liberation from inequality. It is not people fighting with their neighbours but fighting to get by and get on. The real choice facing Unite’s members in September is devolution or separation, social justice or nationalism.

Both Len and I are here today, gone tomorrow. We are both fortunate that we represent a proud Labour movement which has done so much in the pursuit of social justice across the UK. But the movement was here long before us and will be here long after we’ve gone. All we can influence is the kind of party and kind of country we leave behind.

Let no one be fooled. The Nationalists number one economic policy is to cut Corporation Tax to 3p below whatever Osborne sets it at. They don’t support Labour’s plans for the 50p tax rate and are united with the Tories on the side of the energy companies, not hard pressed consumers.

‘Together We Can’ sets out a positive vision, not just for Scotland but for the UK too, so I would urge Len to read it – I know many Unite members in Scotland already have. Together we can build the fairer Scotland and United Kingdom he and his members want and need.

P.S. Your copy’s in the post Len.

Anas Sarwar is Deputy Leader of the Scottish Labour Party and Referendum Co-ordinator